Crack! Smack, we're back on track. The Glasgow green map was unofficially taking a little rest for two weeks since there wasn't really that much volunteers could do to help. The Paper based map was finally handed off to the designers at scratch design, meanwhile the web based map took a pelting to its productivity curve due to network infrastructure. The web map will eventually be deployed at the electron club ( CCA Glasgow ) and we have long term concerns in mind for both the Electron Club and Green Map at heart. In the short term we could just stick the site on a commercial web host but that doesn't take much community effort. The network within the Electron Club is thanks to the hard work of Andrew Back and Simon () who setup both internal/external access for the project server that is to be the home for the green map virtual host ( where the web pages and code will reside ). Additional thanks goes to Alex Suttcliffe for his snappy work to set up the preliminary configuration of our green map host; setting up accounts, installing programs and some configuration. Although the whole network setup took a little longer to get right it was a chance for some community efforts to really show their value to the project. When eventually this project is realized for the success it will inevitably become; those involved in setup, information gathering, think work, art & design, programming, distribution, promotion can not only feel proud about what they have contributed to, but can also rest assured that it was only realized through the team efforts of everyone equally. Every move we've made so far has been democratically voted upon or trusted to those with relevant former experience. All of these people are working to help one another in the electron club and in the process make Glasgow a greener city.
The Last Meeting
This was really a pat on the back meeting to sit back and review exactly where we were at within the Green Map. On the whole we are running dead on time but we now have to start planning out where exactly the bottle necks are going to be within the project in light of our former experience.
The Green Map is lucky enough to have just received some additional funding so we were having a think about how it should be best spent in the coming months.
Here were the expressed preferences:
1. Members of the club: It's members that are making the map happen and its important that they are valued for the work they contribute and that they in return receive from the project. We've thoughts of hiring people to speak, paying traveling expenses and pizza. If anyone else has any (realistic) thoughts please speak up.
2. Marketing: In order for all of our hard work to actually reach any kind of audience it will have to be intensely and well marketed. All products need good marketing no matter how good they are. Bad products are constantly thrown in our face and so generate an audience "just because" it was sheerly caught within the audience. All of those involved in the Green Map know its benefit to the community and it's going to be our responsibility it finds its way to those it will affect. If we can just get their interest once, the actual maps functionality will carry us through.
3. User / Usability testing: When making a product it would be arrogant and indeed ignorant to presume that those involved in developing the product share the exact tastes and preferences as those to which it is aimed. In order for the Online Green Map to be a success it will have to be useful within the first 10 seconds of loading up or the users are just going to get bored/frustrated and venture off. We'll achieve this by getting a few of those users in and watch exactly how they use the site and base our changes around what they actually need. To do this properly we'll probably need to pay a few select users.
4. Contingency: There's bound to be something else.
It has been considered that it may be wise to restructure the weekly meetings slightly by setting agendas before hand, me and Hannah will make sure that everyone will have access to them every week and people can decide if they want to come along based on what we're geared to speak on. Of course everyone is still more than welcome to attend every single meeting, we just want to make sure that the programming peeps and he marketing peeps can confidently 'talk shop' without anyones eyes glazing over.
To all the developers: The links page has been updated with our story planner and host. I'm going to stick up some stories soon and then we'll look them over with Liz, Frankie and co. If anyone wants to have a stab at adding a few go ahead and put them in the first iteration (Two weeks) we'll worry about cleaning it up once there's something to clean up.
We plotted out a small timeline that showed we were going to have to get a move on and start user testing soon but really showed everything was looking dandy. Well done to Hannah for getting her Job!
The Last Meeting
This was really a pat on the back meeting to sit back and review exactly where we were at within the Green Map. On the whole we are running dead on time but we now have to start planning out where exactly the bottle necks are going to be within the project in light of our former experience.
The Green Map is lucky enough to have just received some additional funding so we were having a think about how it should be best spent in the coming months.
Here were the expressed preferences:
1. Members of the club: It's members that are making the map happen and its important that they are valued for the work they contribute and that they in return receive from the project. We've thoughts of hiring people to speak, paying traveling expenses and pizza. If anyone else has any (realistic) thoughts please speak up.
2. Marketing: In order for all of our hard work to actually reach any kind of audience it will have to be intensely and well marketed. All products need good marketing no matter how good they are. Bad products are constantly thrown in our face and so generate an audience "just because" it was sheerly caught within the audience. All of those involved in the Green Map know its benefit to the community and it's going to be our responsibility it finds its way to those it will affect. If we can just get their interest once, the actual maps functionality will carry us through.
3. User / Usability testing: When making a product it would be arrogant and indeed ignorant to presume that those involved in developing the product share the exact tastes and preferences as those to which it is aimed. In order for the Online Green Map to be a success it will have to be useful within the first 10 seconds of loading up or the users are just going to get bored/frustrated and venture off. We'll achieve this by getting a few of those users in and watch exactly how they use the site and base our changes around what they actually need. To do this properly we'll probably need to pay a few select users.
4. Contingency: There's bound to be something else.
It has been considered that it may be wise to restructure the weekly meetings slightly by setting agendas before hand, me and Hannah will make sure that everyone will have access to them every week and people can decide if they want to come along based on what we're geared to speak on. Of course everyone is still more than welcome to attend every single meeting, we just want to make sure that the programming peeps and he marketing peeps can confidently 'talk shop' without anyones eyes glazing over.
To all the developers: The links page has been updated with our story planner and host. I'm going to stick up some stories soon and then we'll look them over with Liz, Frankie and co. If anyone wants to have a stab at adding a few go ahead and put them in the first iteration (Two weeks) we'll worry about cleaning it up once there's something to clean up.
We plotted out a small timeline that showed we were going to have to get a move on and start user testing soon but really showed everything was looking dandy. Well done to Hannah for getting her Job!
Tags:
design. marketing
,
meetings